Technical Field
Embodiments of the invention relate generally to vehicles. Particular embodiments relate to the repair or transport of such vehicles.
Discussion of Art
Rail vehicles, such as those driven by AC traction motors, can suffer from locked axle outage due to various component failures, e.g., bearings damaged from heavy load or adverse environment, lubrication leakage, fatigues, and the like. When a traction motor or axle journal bearing fails, the railway vehicle wheel axle can lose its traction and become frozen on the rail. As a result, the vehicle has to stop to avoid a potential derailment. Once stopped and frozen on a rail, it often takes several days to move the vehicle to a service center. In addition, the service costs are high, not to mention the railroad fees and associated shipping delays.
Typical methods of moving a locked axle rail vehicle include lifting the entire rail vehicle by a crane or cutting a gear shaft from the locked axle traction motor. The latter method is effective only if the cause of the locked axle has been correctly diagnosed to a motor bearing, rather than a journal bearing. As will be appreciated, typical methods of moving a locked axle rail vehicle require equipment, logistics, and skilled labor. In view of the above, it is desirable to develop a cost-effective, lightweight and easy-to-use external tool for use by non-craft-trained crewmembers to quickly move a rail vehicle that suffers a locked axle.